Strange Bedfellows

}Bill Clinton and Al Gore didn't exactly find themselves jobless after leaving office a month ago. But that didn't stop ever-resourceful Monster.com from wooing them to shill for its online job service.

A few weeks back, Monster's lead agency, Arnold Worldwide, approached the ex-president and the almost-president about starring in an ad as out-of-work guys who could use the client's services, sources said. There was some initial interest, but the talks ultimately collapsed. Clinton was rumored to demand a fee in the $5 million area, which the client refused to pay; plus, the reported acrimony between the two leaders following the election fiasco apparently soured Gore on the project, said sources.

Having a little fun after a political defeat isn't new. Ann Richards and Mario Cuomo did it famously for Doritos during the 1995 Super Bowl. And Bob Dole has even parodied his own Viagra ads. But considering Gore's past six months and Clinton's past few weeks, their project may have been doomed all along. The tag "Job good. Life good" certainly would have elicited a few chuckles. DON FARRALL/PHOTO DISC

}Bill Clinton and Al Gore didn't exactly find themselves jobless after leaving office a month ago. But that didn't stop ever-resourceful Monster.com from wooing them to shill for its online job service.

A few weeks back, Monster's lead agency, Arnold Worldwide, approached the ex-president and the almost-president about starring in an ad as out-of-work guys who could use the client's services, sources said. There was some initial interest, but the talks ultimately collapsed. Clinton was rumored to demand a fee in the $5 million area, which the client refused to pay; plus, the reported acrimony between the two leaders following the election fiasco apparently soured Gore on the project, said sources.

Having a little fun after a political defeat isn't new. Ann Richards and Mario Cuomo did it famously for Doritos during the 1995 Super Bowl. And Bob Dole has even parodied his own Viagra ads. But considering Gore's past six months and Clinton's past few weeks, their project may have been doomed all along. The tag "Job good. Life good" certainly would have elicited a few chuckles. DON FARRALL/PHOTO DISC